There is a vast array of first jobs a teenager can have in their high school and college years. From scooping ice cream to working as a receptionist at your local realtor (both jobs friends of mine have), the possibilities are endless. However, I truly believe there is only one type of job that equips you with and prepares you for whatever life may throw at you in the adult world, and that is the restaurant business. This is my list for the top perks of working in the restaurant business!
1. You learn how to own up to and work past your failures.
When working as a server, bus boy/girl, chef, bartender or any other position at a restaurant, there are two rules that will drive every decision you make, which are the rules that the customer comes first and that you aren't working your job solely for yourself, but for your work team as a whole. If simply one of you isn't doing their jobs, then the whole restaurant can fall apart.
Follow these two rules, and everything should go perfectly... until it doesn't. Naturally, mistakes will happen. We are all human, after all, and it can become really difficult to remember that Table 2 wanted no banana peppers on their cheesesteak, no ice in their Diet Coke, extra crispy fries, and that Table 18 just wants nachos with no chips but just cheese. Instead of panicking and getting flustered, calmly ask your coworkers in the kitchen and on the floor for your help, and everything will work itself out. There, you just learned how to calmly handle a problem!
2. You make way less messes in your kitchen at home or in your dorm.
Before I worked at a place where I was required to handle three plates and two glasses at once, I had butterfingers and could hardly get a plate from the kitchen to the dinner table without making a mess. But now that I have worked a job where such ridiculous things are asked of me, my hand-eye coordination has increased tenfold, and I make much less of a mess. It is always the little things.
3. You learn how to quickly let things go.
In this business, the customer is both your greatest friend and your greatest enemy. They are the ones who provide you with your main source of income in the form of tipping, but they can also ruin a perfectly good night for you with one rude remark or one request for the manager. If you're like me, people like the ones you're forced to tolerate while serving can truly rattle you and put you in a bad mood, which will reflect on your interactions with others inside or outside of work. However, on a busy Friday night with your whole restaurant slammed, the last thing you need to dwell on is the jerk who yelled at you five minutes ago. You will quickly learn to let petty things like this go, and handle the rest of your job (and daily life) with a stress-free attitude.
4. You learn how to be in charge and exercise power.
For this point, all that can be said is there is truly no greater pleasure in getting to rightfully exercise the right to refuse a customer service. You look forward to these moments.
5. Your work family becomes some of your best friends.
You and your work family go through hell and back together. You have all seen each other at your most frustrated and most elated. You have swapped some stories you will probably not tell anybody you go to school with or see regularly. You have had some of the best laughs you can remember with these people. You have a new circle of friends that you can brag about to your friends at home. Your work family is your support system. Love your work family.
6. You experience how rewarding it feels to help others.
Not only do your customers rely on you, but so do your coworkers. Taking an extra minute to go ask the kitchen to fix a dish, or help your coworker get a table's orders started goes a long way. Getting a simple "thank you" back feels fantastic. You went out of your way to do something for someone, and your customer smiled back and acknowledged that. Getting addicted to thanks is a wonderful trait that will enhance the lifestyles of both yourself and those around you.
7. All of that tip money does not hurt, either.
I mean... we all like money, I'm assuming? Need I say more?
